Who cares about your school district’s logo? Only you.

After 30 years in the research, communications and marketing business, I can safely say that – over that time-span – “branding” takes the prize as the most frequently misunderstood concept in our industry. And school district people are getting some of the worst advice there is on the topic.

Whether it’s an article in a journal, a conference presentation, or a discussion on a blog somewhere, many who share their thoughts point to logos, color schemes, slogans, and such and suggest how important it is that these items be ship-shape because, after all, “they are your brand.”

They couldn’t be more wrong.

The president of a company I worked for early in my professional career described it this way, “A brand is a promise.” In other words, it’s everything that comes to mind when you think about, talk about, read about, or encounter a product, a service, a company. Or, a school district.

Rather than spending time fussing over your logo, color scheme or slogan, take a close look at your Mission statement and find ways to showcase how you are achieving those goals. Take your Vision statement and demonstrate what you are doing to reach that high bar you’ve set. Show how these words mean something. That’s how you build the brand you want.

Think of it this way: If a prospective patron was evaluating school districts, do you think they’d be more interested in the scholarship money your high school students have earned, or the slogan a district committee spent months working on?

Defending your need for a “pile of money”

This week saw the publication of yet another screed from public education’s worst enemy in Kansas – who just happens to sit on the Kansas Board of Education.

His verse was new, but his song was very familiar: Public schools have a pile of money in reserves, and they should spend it down during this time of economic hardship in the state.

His tome was full of big numbers that made it seem as though school districts across the state had been stockpiling money for years, simply because they could, and that keeping such funds in reserve while asking the state not to reduce funding any further was an insult to taxpayers.

Of course, missing from this dissertation was the tiny fact that the state of Kansas has routinely been late – sometimes very late – with its payments to school districts during this time of economic downturn. Without reserves on hand, school districts would be unable to meet routine, ongoing obligations that keep the doors open and the lights on – not to mention, of course, the need to have some funds on hand for emergencies.

No matter what such funds are called where you live, it’s likely that you have someone who gets on the same soapbox and spouts the same “half of the story” that our KBOE member does.

When that happens, an unemotional presentation of the facts is your best ally. Put it in “patron-friendly” terms: “We need a savings account, because our funds from the state are often delayed, but our teachers, utilities and other routine expenses need to be paid on time. We also keep funds for emergencies, because boilers break down, roofs leak, and air conditioners fail at the worst possible times. But, we always try to keep these reserve funds at a sensible level.”

Hidden branding opportunity: Alumni

We’re written in this space before about the key role that alumni can play as ongoing volunteers and unofficial cheerleaders for the district, if you approach them while their graduation tassel is still – at least emotionally speaking, if not literally – hanging around their rearview mirror.

But, as their interest fades and their lives become busy with their own families, the branding opportunities remain – albeit at more of a physical distance. After all, while their enthusiasm may be taking hold elsewhere, chances are good that they would still speak with pride about their school and your district if part of your branding effort was directed at them. And, the right word from a proud alum can pay big dividends.

What this means for you is thinking beyond Homecoming weekend each year.

For example:

• Learn from the popularity of such websites as classmates.com (where the memories are always fond, if not completely accurate…), and dedicate space on your own website for alumni updates, segregated by graduating class year. Have part of that space be a blog, where you post district and individual school updates.
• Create a quarterly e-newsletter for parents of alumni, and ask them to feed stories of their sons’ and daughters’ accomplishments to the district for publication. (If you do this right, you’ll probably need to do it more than quarterly after a while!)
• Ask alumni to take a leadership role on committees, to be honorary captains of the football team, to write a story for the school newspaper, and any other way you can think of to link their past to your present. And, always lead their biography (or verbal introduction) with their status as an alum and the year they graduated.

If you make the opportunities for interaction meaningful, fun, and varied, you send the brand message that heritage and tradition are values that matter to your school district.

Hidden branding opportunity: School sporting events

Whether it’s a big-time high school football rivalry game or a second-team middle school volleyball match, sports present an excellent opportunity for branding in front of a captive and attentive audience. Yet, it also requires some strategic thought to make certain that the benefits are fully received.

Of course, a “break in the action” is not the time for the principal of the hosting school to stand up, grab a microphone and pontificate about the school’s excellent performance on a recent state assessment test. After all, those in attendance are there to see the game, not to hear a commercial.

Yet, there are a few subtle opportunities to brand that shouldn’t be missed. For example:

• If a game program is distributed (even if it’s just a sheet of paper with the names of the players from one team on one side, and the other team on the other side), make certain it contains the same information about each team and is organized the same way. In other words, if you list the team managers for one school, for example, list them for the other one, too. This sends a message that you care about the details, and about fairness.

• Don’t miss the chance to publicize other events – sporting and academic – that are coming up at both schools via a handout available at the door. Doing so reinforces that the district values all types of competition, and that it celebrates those in both athletics and academics.

• Provide directional signage to guide visitors to restrooms and concession stands – even if they’re just temporary signs that are created by someone with some computer flair that day. You want guests to feel welcome.

The idea is this: Make it clear that you have your act together on even the smallest detail every time you open your doors for guests, and it sends a brand message that yours is a district that takes excellence seriously in everything you do.

Hidden branding opportunity: Parent/Teacher conferences

Perhaps no venue offers a school district a more attentive audience than a parent/teacher conference.

Those who know their student is doing well show up to hear the accolades from staff members, while those with a struggling child are hoping to pick up information that will unlock a better school experience for their youngster.

Of course, time is short during conferences and the focus is on sharing information about each individual student and answering the questions of parents. Nothing should interrupt the free flow of that dialogue.

However, it’s important not to miss out on the opportunity to further your district’s brand with this captive audience through subtle messaging carried out in material that is distributed.

For example, if you provide information at conferences about web-related study resources that might be helpful to struggling students, pass out that information on a sheet of paper titled, “X SCHOOL DISTRICT has researched the options and recommends the following websites as study resources.” Or, you might go to the other end of the spectrum and present a sheet highlighting outside study opportunities for gifted students.

The branding comes when you highlight (briefly, of course) the district’s efforts in identifying and recommending these resources. It’s probably a subtle shift from what you may be doing right now – handing out a sheet with quality websites listed. But, in that shift is the brand-building opportunity.

What else could you do to further your brand when attentive parents come for a visit this Spring?

Always be branding

Of the many shticks that salespeople have to endure in their training, the expression “ABC” is one of the most familiar. It stands for “Always Be Closing,” and it’s a reminder to the salesperson to be attentive to clues a prospective customer gives during an encounter that open the door to complete a sale. If said salesperson is “always closing,” then those opportunities will not be missed.

In the world of public schools, the phrase should be “Always be branding,” to serve as a reminder that every encounter with a parent or a non-parent patron is an opportunity to build and strengthen your district’s brand.

The biggest challenge in making this a reality is in going beyond the obvious.

After all, responding to a parent’s e-mail, returning a phone call from a citizen, or greeting guests at an event are situations in which it’s easy to think about building a brand message into the encounter.

If you really want to be a success at this, however, you have to go deeper, by breaking down every possible point of contact with members of audiences that matter to your success and creating ways to insert a brand experience into that encounter.

Think of all the places where encounters happen, reasons they happen, who they happen with, and so on and you’ll really get the ball rolling. After you have your list, create innovative (and easy to deploy) ways to make those encounters brand-building. You’ll be amazed at the buzz that is created, both internally and externally.

Never miss a chance. Always be branding.

Why did you/didn’t you cancel school?

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, isn’t it?

Snow and ice (and the threat thereof) can put district personnel and their patrons on edge, and will most certainly lead to some constituents thinking that their school district leadership has lost its collective mind, no matter what you decide.

It was ever thus, and always will be. And, all the “here’s our inclement weather guidelines” e-mails early in the school year are faint memories for patrons as they – and their children – await the news regarding the fate of the coming school day.

If you can eliminate the thought that you will please all of your patrons, snow day announcements do present an opportunity to reinforce a key component of your district’s brand – the safety of students.

While you can’t insert a message into the scrolling school closing list on the local morning news, you likely have a wealth of direct communication tools (text, e-mail, website postings, etc.) you put to use when such an announcement needs to be made.

Don’t miss the opportunity to build up your brand by reinforcing that the decision to cancel was based on your concern for student safety. After all, everyone can see it’s snowing (or has snowed). So saying, “Due to the snow, we’re canceling school” is what we used to call in junior high a “duh” statement. Instead, say something like, “The weather has created an unsafe situation for our students, families and staff who would be trying to get to school. Therefore, we are closed today.”

Talking budget? Honest caution the best advice

Two of the states where we do a lot of work received some interesting news from their friendly state governments recently.

In Kansas, the core message from the new governor was that he wouldn’t be fiddling with the state’s financing of K-12 – at least not right now.

On the surface, that gave him a positive talking point: “Governor pledges not to cut school budget!” However, the rest of the story is that when the Federal Stimulus Dollars dry up, the state won’t be replacing them. So, the net result is fewer dollars, no matter who or what is to blame.

In Missouri, the Governor announced he is “releasing” $7.5 million in funds to help fund transportation. But, that was from $70 million in such funds that were withheld last year to help with the state’s budget woes. Once again, an encouraging headline does not tell the entire story.

Chances are good that no matter where you may be reading this, your district’s budget challenges will be even greater this coming budget cycle than they were this year. Your patrons have a right to know what you – and they – are facing, of course. But, as you work to make your situation known, make certain you have clear, concise and easily repeatable messages before you send out your first news tip on the coming budget.

Provide a quick refresher on the recent budget downturn, and its impact on your district so far. Mention the current budget projections, making it clear that you recognize that the budget is still working its way through the legislature and that it may change as a result. Hit the high points on what effects might be felt at various levels of funding cuts, but do so matter-of-factly.

Above all, put the word out and keep it out there until the final numbers are in. Doing so makes patrons your partners in this process, and makes it easier to break bad news to them if – and when – that become necessary.

Today’s class: Public Meeting 101

Public meetings have devolved into public theater, as the goal of actually gathering meaningful input from a cross-section of community members has been hijacked by the boisterous few whose objective is not to solve problems, but to create them and, in doing so, slow down the process of making important decisions.

The so-called “Health Care Town Halls” were a shining example of this de-evolution in action. Rather than ask questions, offer ideas, or share meaningful concerns, the objective for most who raised their voices was to do just that – raise their voices. Those with legitimate ideas to offer were drowned out by the finger-pointing, sign-waving crowd.

School districts who hold such public events as difficult decisions are being made often find the same dynamic in place, often spiced up with patrons trotting their children up to the microphone with them, so that the patron can point to said child and say, “Do you mean to tell me you are going to make Sally (or Sam) go to school X? She came out of the womb planning on going to School Y!”

How to avoid that? Don’t have a microphone for public comment.

Instead, position school board members, boundary committee members, and administration members in the corners of the public meeting room. Welcome the guests from the podium, describe the draft proposal, and then send them to the corners to share their input. Have someone on duty in each corner to record everything, and make that activity visible. Report the findings in the media in a summary form.

If the objective is to truly secure input, it’s the only way you’ll be certain to hear from everyone in the room. And, better still, you create an environment that’s constructive, rather than destructive.

Want living proof that this is the way to go? Check with the superintendents at Salina (Kansas) USD 305, and Warrensburg R-VI in Missouri about how well this approach worked in their districts.

A new way to look at the concept of value

It’s always been the case, but is even more so now as the economy’s engine slowly (painfully slowly) begins to crank back to life: Patrons want value from anything they chose to – or have to – invest in.

But how do patrons decide whether or not they are getting good value? What they are telling us, via our research, is that their value equation has three parts to it:

What I see: Do the buildings look cared for? Do the students who are being educated appear to be solid citizens in the community? (Good luck with having that be viewed as universally the case.) Do the teachers, principals, administrators and Board of Education members seem to be pulling in the same, positive direction?

What I hear: Not so much from the district – although news from the Central Office and the individual schools does play a part – but more from what the neighbors are telling me. What the teachers are saying. What my kids are saying about what happens in school.

What I believe: Do I start with the general view that the school district is effective and efficiently run, or do I have nagging questions? What’s happening that’s impacting that view?

Easy? Hardly.

But understanding that value is not something that the majority of your patrons associate with a numerical equation will help guide your brand-building communications toward messages that demonstrate value on the patrons’ terms.

Unknown leadership is usually a good thing

With the annual summertime superintendent shuffle having been completed at school districts across the country, new leaders in new places have been very busy trying to get immersed in their communities.

They’ve spoken at every event, visited with any parent who came calling, and spent time at the local coffee house, soaking up the community gossip. That’s all good, because it gets the new superintendent familiar with his or her surroundings. Just don’t expect the typical patron to remain overly interested, once the honeymoon period is over.

Our research shows that in all but the very smallest of communities, the superintendent (and, in most cases, the Board of Education) are assumed to be doing well – even if no one can remember who they are.

Specifically, when we ask people to rate the performance of the leader and his or her BOE, a high percentage of patrons say “don’t know.” While this may be confusing to a school district leader who knows his or her critics on a first-name basis, it’s really quite common.

Patrons rate the quality of their school district on areas such as buildings, teachers, whether they think the students turn out OK, and whether or not they think they are getting a good value for their tax money. The leadership isn’t really on their minds, unless their names pop up on a negative way in the local news media.

The lesson here is not to worry about making the superintendent or the Board more well-known, but to focus communications on what matters most to patrons. If that’s how they are going to judge the district, then that’s what the district should be talking about.

Remember the limitations of online research

With the easy availability of free (or very low-cost) online research tools, many school districts are relying heavily on this approach to collect the opinions of those who matter to the district’s success. Oftentimes, too heavily.

Make no mistake: We believe that any research is better than no research. It’s just important to know the limitations.

Specifically, online research opportunities offered to the entire patron population typically draw a much higher percentage of current district parents and others with a vested interest in the subject matter (staff members, for example) than would a more randomly selected approach such as a telephone survey. When this happens, the results tend to slant much more passionately than would be the case if the more “generically interested” were included in appropriate numbers.

Generally speaking, we recommend online research in three cases.

1. When the subject matter pertains to a specific audience that can be specifically invited to participate. In other words, if you want to know what parents think about a potential change in the bell schedule, online is a great way to do so (assuming you have access to e-mail addresses).

1. When you want to provide all interested parties an opportunity to comment. We typically recommend online as a supplement to telephone research, because it provides an outlet for those who aren’t contacted to speak up, and gives the school district the chance to say “Everyone can have their voices heard.”

1. When you simply don’t have the budget to do anything more comprehensive. As noted above, any research is better than no research. Just make certain to ask respondents if they are current parents or not, so that you can separate the data into those groups.